Asparagus Bundles

It's that time of year again, when everyone get's really busy. The Holidays are almost upon us.
I don't know about you, but I am always looking for something a little different to serve as a side on Thanksgiving, or for that matter at anytime!
The other night I made a delicous bundle of asparagus. It was a little bit of an after thought so I didn't have all the perfect ingredients or everything needed so I improvised. Let me tell you, my bundles were great. Sometimes you just make it happen using what you have! Here's what I had...

One roll of pie crust, yes you know which one I'm talking about. It comes in a box, and you keep it in the frig and when you need it you let it come to room temperature and unroll it!
2 bunches of thick asparagus, which I trimmed off the hard bottoms and then using my vegetable peeler, took off the skin on the sides of the asparagus.
3 slices of fresh mozarella cheese
a chunk of smoked gouda
a package of speck

I took two asparagus stalks and wrapped them in the speck. I cut up the cheese and put a piece of each cheese on top of the speck. I cut the pie dough into strips and wraped them up in the crust.
Place the asparagus on parchment paper, drizzle them olive oil and season with salt and pepper, (I had some left over truffle so I shaved some of it on top)
Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until the crust gets a little color.

I served these bundles on top of the pasta I made the other night.  These are delicious on their own and will definitely find a way to the table for the holiday!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!

Buon Appetito
xoxoxo
Lorraine

Asparagus

The other day I saw a post by one of my friends on Facebook and he was making an Asparagus Risotto using fresh asparagus that he had picked at a farm in upstate New York.  How fabulous! I can't imagine anything better than picking your own asparagus and cooking it!
I didn't pick my own asparagus, but when these stalks of spring are in season I make them as often as my family will let me. Tonight I decided to cook these and make them into a salad.
My sister Michele and I always have a small debate on which are better, the thin spears, or the big fat ones! I like the big ones!  Let's Food Crawl with some fresh asparagus!

I cut off about two inches from the bottom of the stalk, and with a vegetable peeler I take off the outer layer of skin on the bottom about 2 - 3 inches up. For tonight's salad I am going to poach the asparagus in water with slivers of fresh garlic.

I bring the water to a boil, and then remove the asparagus from the heat. I rinsed them with cold water to stop the cooking process.
I seasoned the asparagus with extra virgin olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Toss the asparagus, I like to use tongs to move them around in the dish to make sure they are all evenly coated with the olive oil and other seasoning.

I then arranged them on a dish. Tonight I was in the mood for hearts of palm and artichoke hearts.
I drizzled some balsamic blaze over the asparagus,  and topped it with sliced hearts of palm.

Enjoy!
Buon Appetito
xoxoxo
Lorraine

Lamb

My family loves lamb. I think it goes way back to when they were babies, and that they inherited Greek Genes from my husband! I used to gag feeding them the Gerber lamb, but it became clear to me that my kids were lamb lovers!  My mother didn't make lamb all that often. She would make an occasional lamb chop but I don't recall ever having a leg of lamb or a rack of lamb.

It wasn't until I got married that I started making lamb because it was something that my husband really loves. The first time I made a leg of lamb I cooked it like it hadn't been dead already...OMG! It was horrible. Now, lamb is served at a temp of medium rare, and there is absolutely no mint jelly on our table!

Pictured above are racks of lamb.  I prepared them by making a herbed breadcrumb and just pressed the breadcrumbs onto the lamb. I then baked them in a hot oven, 450 degrees for 10 minutes then turned the heat down to 375 and finished them off for another 15 minutes. Let them rest for a few minutes before cutting into them  They were the perfect .... Medium Rare!

I served the lamb with some asparagus parmigiano

and a fresh mixed green salad with some delicious ripe strawberries, with a balsamic dressing.

 Breadcrumb Crust
seasoned bread crumbs ( I like 4C)
3 - 4 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsely
a few pinches of rosemary
a bunch of fresh chopped mint
juice from 2 lemons
salt and pepper to taste
a drizzling of olive oil just to make the mixture a little damp
Mix all the ingredients together. Press the mixture onto your meat and cook as desired!
Enjoy! :)

Buon Appetito!
xoxoxo
Lorraine